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12.9.14

OK, so the title might be a bit misleading since this is actually a project where I will be making a big mirror into two smaller mirrors...because you know, bigger isn't always better. This project has been in my head for a very very long time. With some of the works I do, I can usually guess how the outcome is going to be. This one...I really wasn't sure. So it stayed on my to do list until this weekend. My parents left on Sunday and I found myself very sad. As usual I dealt with emotions the only way I know how...I create. The moment their car left my driveway, I immersed myself in this project. Like most homes, I have this plain builder's grade vanity mirror. I really really dislike it but taking it out and replacing it with two different mirrors seem like too much work...mostly the taking it out part. I could have frame it with moldings like most people do but that's no fun for me. So here is the before.

Plain. Misplaced. The fact that the mirror isn't perfectly lined up with the sinks drove me crazy but OK, I can work around it. I sketched out the shape of the frames on the mirror. I knew those little washable crayons would come in handy. Then I painted the outer edges with white paint. By this point, I know there is no turning back.

Before you start thinking that I actually work for Efex company, let me assure you that I don't. It has become a favorite medium of mine to work with. Just like I use clay to sculpt, these appliques allowed me to be creative. I ordered a bunch of Efex appliques from Maison Decor. I was hoping I could get three projects out of them but I am not really known for less is more. First I painted the appliques. I wish I have pictures of every process but I usually work after 11 o'clock at night and by then my brain is half fried and I am not thinking straight. The next part is putting the appliques on the mirror. This is always the hardest part for me. I can spend days and weeks just trying to figure out how I want things to look like. It is kind of pointless since I always end up changing it last minute anyway. I use contact cement to glue the appliques onto the mirror.

Right about now was when I realized why I kept skipping this project. Even my crazy brain knew this was one of those projects that sound really good in my head but it wasn't going to translate well in real life. I stared at it. I stared at it some more. I hated it. I wanted to cry. I lost some sleep trying to figure out how to fix it. As usual my solutions came around 3 in the morning. Trumeau Mirror! It was the perfect fix to hide the mirror edges. Now if I were a good blogger, I would have taken the time to take pictures of the process and all that. I am the worst. I get an idea and I run with it like a mad woman. So I added moldings on the top and the sides then painted it Chalk Paint® in Paris Grey. Then gilding wax and dark wax to antique the frame....and....DONE!

What do you think? So much better than before. I am really happy with it.

I think it is a good balance to my shabby distressed cabinets.

I do have crazy amount of mirrors. You can never have enough pretty mirrors.

The important thing with appliques is to think beyond what it looks like. I cut up almost every piece of appliques to create different style combinations. There are so many possibilities. My antique French cabinet now resides in the bathroom.

Along with all the other little pretty things...

Can we please take one last look at my builder's grade mirror turned gorgeous French trumeau mirror? Love.

Now I can finally get some sleep. I will be over at Pamela's From my front porch to yours for How I found my Style Sundays. I hope you can stop by. Here is a little sneak peek.

3.9.14

September is finally here. I am sad to say good bye to the beautiful summer days. The girls and I spent a lot of summer evening just lying on the grass, staring up at the blue sky and breathing in the fresh summer air. We could spend hours doing just that. The intoxicating scent from mixture of flowers and fresh cut grass always make me feel nostalgic. It makes me think of hot sweaty summer nights when as a child I would run barefoot through the grass chasing after fireflies. I can still remember the feeling of cool moist grass underneath my feet and the salty taste of sweat dripping down my face. Once in awhile at night, I would smell that exact scent breezing through the window. It brings such pure happiness to my heart. I always thought to myself how I would love to put that scent and feelings into a bottle until I found out Annie Sloan actually did just that. A few months ago, Annie Sloan Unfolded reached out to me and asked if I would like to review Annie Sloan Fragrance Line. I love anything and everything Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® has to offer. Chalk Paint® really changed my life and every single piece of furniture I have painted was with Chalk Paint®.

Annie Sloan has created six beautiful and high quality fragrances and candles that "evoke a place and a time too, stirring memories, conjuring idyllic scenes and feelings." My favorite one is called Antibes. To me, it smells of home. It smells of endless summer nights where the air is filled with fresh flowers and sweet green grass.

This painting depicts the true essence of Antibes. Green grass as far as eyes can see. Clear blue sky carries the whisper of warm summer breeze. Isn't it the picture of perfect summer day?

I now keep the Antibes Reed Diffuser in my bedroom. I don't have to wait for that summer breeze to enter through my window. Everyday now is the perfect summer day.

Love,
Victoria

Annie Sloan Unfolded sent me these products to review as part of their Blog Outreach Program. All the opinions are my own.

1.9.14

I hope everyone is having a relaxing Labor day weekend. Here? I found out I don't know how to relax. It's true. I can't sit still and do nothing for more than five minutes. I used to think that might because of my unresolved subconscious issues blah blah blah until I got to lived with my parents for two months this summer. Since being here, I have never seen my father not be doing something. I mean the man makes me feel lazy. Now I know why I am the way I am. The last time I lived with my parents was over 15 years ago. Being on my own for 15 years made me really cherish my solitude but also made me realized how much I miss my family. I have to admit I was feeling really burnt out the last week or so. I get these highs and lows from projects. I feel like I am on cloud nine when I finish a big project then I crash. Like an addict, I am constantly trying to get back to that high. So...big project after big project until my body pretty much says "Screw you. I am not moving for you anymore." I took a day off. Then I found this beauty.

It was the perfect fix I needed. The last few projects have been all about upholstering and building things. I miss the therapeutic feeling I get from painting. I miss the feel of paint brush in my hand and the rush I get from layering paint colors and bringing an image to life. It was a pretty image but the reality is so much better. What do you think?

I painted it with a mix of Chalk Paint® in Old White then second coat with Chalk Paint® in Louis Blue and Paris Grey. I like the idea of different layers of paint color showing through after I distressed it. I decided to dry brush Artisan Enhancements Pearl Plaster to give it more life. Sometimes paint can look flat and Pearl Plaster gives it extra sheen. It came out beautiful after I gilded the details with Gliders Paste in Antique Gold and dark waxed the chair.

Bella claimed it first. She has been asking for her own work table for awhile and since she is a big kindergartner now, I thought she deserved her own space.

I used shabby blue velvet for the seat. Oh how I love velvet and how unpractical it is with children. : )

I decorated her desk with some fancy mason jars and old books.

We will see how long the desk will stay white with these two.

In the mean time, I will enjoy looking at the chair before paint stains cover it.